How do people feel about this in Modern? One of my Legacy decks is BUG Nic Fit and there I've been experimenting with the idea of using my Trinket Mage package and ability to ramp to 6 mana to get Hangarback as a threat. There's a big difference between Modern and Legacy though. In Legacy I have Cabal Therapy, Phyrexian Tower, and Recurring Nightmare to generate instant sacrifice value and Pod to find Trinket Mage. In Modern it's just Chord of Calling for the Mage (or Chord for 0 for the Walker), but I think the ramp ability is there for it.
I'm thinking maybe RUG with a scenario like this:
Lotus Cobra and 4 lands in play
Play a fetchland, use the mana plus other lands for Pia and Kiran Nilaar. Leaves 1 untapped plus an uncracked fetch.
EoT crack the fetch for a green land, G from Cobra, tap Cobra with convoke, then tap P&K plus the thopters for a Chord for 3
Use Chord to get Trinket Mage, Trinket Mage tutors Hangarback Walker (if you don't need something like EE, Pithing Needle, etc)
Untap, land, play Hangarback for X=2 leaving 3 untapped.
Now you can activate P&K to sac hangarback or another thopter, or hold the mana up for counters, and you have 10 power on the board across numerous creatures (8 power with Wall of Roots), and 5 artifacts. If the opponent doesn't have an answer you EoT blow up Hangarback, hit them for 2, untap, swing for 10, then blow up 2 more thopters for another 4. That's 16 right there.
I keep going back and forth if this is high impact enough though.
I feel like the card has potential to be good, even on its own. I have an Esper list, but haven't started testing my idea yet. Until I do, I seemingly think that Hangarback Walker would be quite powerful in the format, in both aggressive shells (i.e. Affinity), which have been posting results and in different, gindier/control strategies.
I really like Walker in Affinity as an answer to sweepers and the format's abundant artifact hate. Ravager plus Walker means you are completely sweeper-proof: dump all the counters to Walker and then get a giant Thopter army after the dust settles.
Neat list. I'm thinking about a different set of colors but it's good to see other non affinity uses for the card. It reinforces the idea there's something to it.
It has nothing to do with it being unplayable in modern, and everything to do with it being *just* another value etb or value death creature outside of affinity synergy--something that control decks don't actually need, because they have plenty of efficient options in that category already.
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Yes, I am a local area mod. WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Primary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
I'm always cynical. But I do think this card is good. I think its probably only going to be good in "cute synergy" deck like grand arcitect, or some kinda kuldaltha red, or things with ever flowing chalance. Or affinity.
So affinity has the only real potential. Its pretty outsanding either way with a ravanger in play. Ravager sacs free up the rogue squadron, while pumping, or, tossing the ravager counters on to hanger back gets you a huge thing with a million flyers.
I've been toying with Hangarback Walker in Pod-like Evolutionary Leap decks (Melira Pod- and Kiki Pod-like), Thopter Spy Network Blue Moon, and that Abzan AscendancyReturn to the Ranks deck. I haven't tested Hangarback enough in the Pod decks yet (I suspect it'll be fine there, but maybe not worth it over the 3-4th Voice of Resurgence--I sandbag it too often, and it's a crummy Chord of Calling pick). It's a 2-mana 1/1 too often in Blue Moon (i.e. my inability to tap out is harming Hangarback there), although its tap-to-put-on-a-+1/+1-counter ability is used more often there. It's fine in Abzan Return--it's a 4-mana 2/2 more often there, it loves Abzan Ascendancy, I got 3 Thopters out of it once, and it screws over flying offences really hard, but insta-dying when reanimated by Return to the Ranks is a double-edged sword with the sharper edge towards me.
If you aim to make Hangarback cost 4 mana, Pia and Kiran Nalaar look better overall (but they're red). If you aim to make Hangarback cost 2 mana, Doomed Traveler makes fun of it half the time.
So yeah, I've been racking my brain for the niches where Hangarback can fit. Maybe it's OK in Mono-U Tron with Trinket Mage?
^^ and as Lectrys I've been testing it with Evolutionary Leap and Abzan Ascendancy too. I liked it with Leap but mostly because I payed it in a Grand Architect/Chief Engineer shell with Master of Waves as the second value dude. Here the Thopters from the first Hangarback tapped for mana and could feed the second (giant) Hangarback.
I think it has potential and is probably going to end up in an Affinity shell if the meta shifts more to the BG/x dominated one it was before. It is like a Lingering Souls type effect where you get a lot of chumping value out of a single card which can be good when playing against threats like Tarmogoyf. It can also fight boardwipes while you have a Ravager in play. They play a Supreme Verdict, and you get 7 tokens. Think of the value.
nobody mentioned the abzan sacrifice company with blood artist souls doomed traveller and such? there he is a better lategame and grindier doomed traveller. seems worth a slot to try out
nobody mentioned the abzan sacrifice company with blood artist souls doomed traveller and such? there he is a better lategame and grindier doomed traveller. seems worth a slot to try out
That's the Abzan Return deck I mentioned in my earlier post. Hangarback was fairly good there, especially since I sneaked a Gavony Township into that deck's mana base.
The card already has results so I think we can call it a good card..... Anyways I feel that this card is decent in a control deck b/c it's a mana sink, late game threat, gives you reward for boardwiping, etc.
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On mtgsalvation people don't want to discuss ideas, so I give people something else to discuss: my controversial opinions.
Maybe it has some potential in decks like Affinity or even Mono U Tron but overall I don't think it's a good card.
Some people have even gone as far as calling it the next Tarmogoyf... so I think we'll wait and see how that turns out. There is still a lot of time before the next Modern GP's/PT's, so there is a lot of time for results to pop up.
the problem is not particularly efficient on his own relative to the modern card pool, so you have to either have it stick around for a few turns or abuse it with something else. The easy answer for "abuse it with something else" is arcbound ravager which makes it firmly an affinity role-player. The "have it stick around for a few turns" is what I like to call "magical Christmas land". In addition to all of the grave hate that exists in modern, and all of the potential exile-based removal, there's also the "decks don't let you sit around and durdle for four turns without doing anything" side to modern. All of this combines to make me believe it is an affinity role player, and nothing more.
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Yes, I am a local area mod. WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Primary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
I've played alot with Hangarback now and I agree with amalek. It's a "build around me" card and not a stand alone card. One of the problems with playing it T2 and plan to put counters on it is that a) you're not pressuring your opponent and b) you're not curving out. B) is a real concern since putting a counter on it each turn while curving out happens once in a blue moon and often it will stay as a 1/1 for far too long and you feel stupid for not just playing Goyf, Bob, Young Pyro or something similar instead of an overcosted Doomed Traveler. It would be quite strong if it didn't have an activation cost and I think it's one of those things that really holds it back from being a true role player in Modern.
i think its only good in a deck with a sac outlet so its less vulnerable to path
Is Path to Exile really something that we should be worried about nowadays? Of all of the tier 1 and 2 decks right now, only Junk, Abzan Company, and Naya Zoo play it, and all of those are tier 2. The real question is whether it is worth it in the worst-case non-Path scenario (you play it for 2 mana, it trades with a removal spell immediately, you get a thopter).
How do people feel about this in Modern? One of my Legacy decks is BUG Nic Fit and there I've been experimenting with the idea of using my Trinket Mage package and ability to ramp to 6 mana to get Hangarback as a threat. There's a big difference between Modern and Legacy though. In Legacy I have Cabal Therapy, Phyrexian Tower, and Recurring Nightmare to generate instant sacrifice value and Pod to find Trinket Mage. In Modern it's just Chord of Calling for the Mage (or Chord for 0 for the Walker), but I think the ramp ability is there for it.
I'm thinking maybe RUG with a scenario like this:
Lotus Cobra and 4 lands in play
Play a fetchland, use the mana plus other lands for Pia and Kiran Nilaar. Leaves 1 untapped plus an uncracked fetch.
EoT crack the fetch for a green land, G from Cobra, tap Cobra with convoke, then tap P&K plus the thopters for a Chord for 3
Use Chord to get Trinket Mage, Trinket Mage tutors Hangarback Walker (if you don't need something like EE, Pithing Needle, etc)
Untap, land, play Hangarback for X=2 leaving 3 untapped.
Now you can activate P&K to sac hangarback or another thopter, or hold the mana up for counters, and you have 10 power on the board across numerous creatures (8 power with Wall of Roots), and 5 artifacts. If the opponent doesn't have an answer you EoT blow up Hangarback, hit them for 2, untap, swing for 10, then blow up 2 more thopters for another 4. That's 16 right there.
I keep going back and forth if this is high impact enough though.
What do others think?
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=89336
I really like Walker in Affinity as an answer to sweepers and the format's abundant artifact hate. Ravager plus Walker means you are completely sweeper-proof: dump all the counters to Walker and then get a giant Thopter army after the dust settles.
Twitch: gamerchamp
Modern: UGrand Architect, UBTezzeret Control, UBWRG Bridge From Below (Dredge)
Legacy: UWGTrue-Name Bant
Yes, I am a local area mod.WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVEPrimary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
So affinity has the only real potential. Its pretty outsanding either way with a ravanger in play. Ravager sacs free up the rogue squadron, while pumping, or, tossing the ravager counters on to hanger back gets you a huge thing with a million flyers.
If you aim to make Hangarback cost 4 mana, Pia and Kiran Nalaar look better overall (but they're red). If you aim to make Hangarback cost 2 mana, Doomed Traveler makes fun of it half the time.
So yeah, I've been racking my brain for the niches where Hangarback can fit. Maybe it's OK in Mono-U Tron with Trinket Mage?
^^ and as Lectrys I've been testing it with Evolutionary Leap and Abzan Ascendancy too. I liked it with Leap but mostly because I payed it in a Grand Architect/Chief Engineer shell with Master of Waves as the second value dude. Here the Thopters from the first Hangarback tapped for mana and could feed the second (giant) Hangarback.
http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=10002&d=257713&f=MO
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
That's the Abzan Return deck I mentioned in my earlier post. Hangarback was fairly good there, especially since I sneaked a Gavony Township into that deck's mana base.
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Yes, I am a local area mod.WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVEPrimary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
Is Path to Exile really something that we should be worried about nowadays? Of all of the tier 1 and 2 decks right now, only Junk, Abzan Company, and Naya Zoo play it, and all of those are tier 2. The real question is whether it is worth it in the worst-case non-Path scenario (you play it for 2 mana, it trades with a removal spell immediately, you get a thopter).
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.